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11/9/11

Ride Home 11/9

I promised sunshine and rainbows and there will be sunshine and rainbows and I will not dwell on the near 40 morons I encountered today riding without lights on their bicycles, including one tall bike rider (rolling up to Freedom Plaza) and the pedicab. Instead, I'll dwell on the fact that it was nearly 60 degrees and it wasn't precipitating and I didn't have to suffer the what seemed like heavier than usual automobile traffic.
I left work only 15 minutes later than usual and by then it was already full dark. It's almost better this way. I noticed the moon.
I rode Mass to Q to 15th and had a bumpy ride down the cycletrack from light to light to light counting lightless cyclists as I went and maybe missing some because they were lightless and I couldn't see them. The cycletrack remains too bumpy, but since this is a special sunshine and rainbows post, let's just say the bumps make it fun, like a roller coaster or mountain biking or a massage chair at the Sharper Image. I rode behind a guy in a suit wearing a SuitSak on his back. Did he have a second suit in his SuitSak or was he ironically ferrying a lycra team kit in there? I don't wear suits at work (unless you count a gorilla suit. I find gorilla suits to be endlessly hilarious) so I don't think I need a SuitSak, but it seems like a worthwhile purchase in you need a bike garment bag.
Mr. Suitsak and I diverged after H Street when he rode to the other side at Madison Place and I stuck to the near side, instead of riding between the untaped security bollards. I think that they're just messing with me now.
Pretty breezy the rest of the way home. Only one taxi driver making an illegal u-turn across Penn. Yesterday, I saw one coming in the other direction slow to make one, so I slowed to a near stop to make it that he couldn't, or at least couldn't until he managed to drive past me at which point presumably he was able. Can't win them all. That thing happened where some bicyclists in front of me ran some reds along Penn but I caught up with them again on East Capitol. It all evens out in the end, unless of course you have super legs and/or get lucky with other lights and/or are willing to keep running reds no matter what.
In conclusion, riding home from work today was fun and I really liked it. Hooray.